The Aces return from a one month Olympic break with a tough matchup against the New York Liberty. The Liberty, who lead the WNBA rankings at the moment, showed no signs of weakness on Thursday night as they defeated the Sparks 103-68.
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Aces vs. Liberty presented by @Toyota
????️ 8.17 | ⌚️ 1PM | ???? CBS pic.twitter.com/kuijhHlLJ5
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) August 14, 2024
Aces Liberty
When these teams last played, two months ago, the Liberty won 90-82, although the score does not really reflect how close it was of a game. Jonquel Jones scored 34 points for New York, and they were ahead by as much as 18 points in the previous meeting.
While the Aces were struggling at 6-5 early in the season, the Liberty were 11-2 at the time of their last game and have since improved to 22-4. The Aces, on the other hand, won 10 of the 12 games that followed that Liberty game after getting Chelsea Gray back, and they now have a 16-8 record.
Breanna Stewart, who struggled with her shooting in the first half, rediscovered her groove in their most recent game against the Sparks, scoring 27 points on 10–15 field goals and 3–4 three-pointers.
Stew York had somethin’ to SAY tonight ????????️@breannastewart is our @Withings Player of the Game ???? pic.twitter.com/BcLxLldkmY
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) August 16, 2024
The Liberty will be without Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who is recovering from surgery she underwent one month ago, while the Aces will be playing at full strength going into this game. As a gritty two-way player who scored 12 points, pulled down 7 rebounds, and had 3 steals in the Liberty’s most recent game against the Aces, Laney-Hamilton is a huge loss. In her absence the Liberty will look to get production from rookie standout Leonie Fiebich and Kayla Thornton off the bench.
Jackie Young, who struggled in the previous meeting between these teams, shooting 2-9 from three and 4-12 from the field, could be crucial for the Aces as they try to seek revenge for their loss earlier in the season. She did, however, just finish a fantastic run with the gold medal-winning USA Women’s National Team, in which she played a major part.
Jackie Young as a starter in the Olympics:
14.5 PPG
3.5 APG
66.7% FGOnly A'ja Wilson has more PTS in this span. pic.twitter.com/0GnVMKjt3Q
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) August 9, 2024
A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum combined for 43 points against the Liberty the previous time, so expect them to continue where they left off when the Aces seek revenge. The fact that Chelsea Gray is available will also have a significant impact on this game because it will enable all of the Aces to play in their natural positions.
On Saturday, August 17th, at 1 p.m., the game will air on CBS. The Aces and Sparks will play a back-to-back on Sunday after this game.
